Articles

If you’ve spent much time chasing ducks near the end of the season, you’ve probably experienced call shy and blind shy birds. Without question, your calling can be an important part of a successful morning, but your setup may actually be more important than the calling. Here’s what you need to know. It doesn’t matter how good a caller you are, if your setup (blind, decoys, motion, etc.) aren’t right, all the good calling in the world won’t help you get ducks in close. You will find that this is

Managing duck Impoundments requires a year-round cycle of monitoring, with the primary goal of growing a food crop and then flooding it. The fastest way to get ready to plant after duck season is to drain all the water from the impoundment, usually beginning on the first day after duck season ends. The process of draining takes time, because the wet ground will also need time to dry out before any kind of equipment can operate in the impoundment. However, anyone watching an impoundment after the

We’ve all heard statements like, “A whitetail ‘lives’ by its nose.” It’s true! To be able to identify another deer or the threat of a human or other predator from just a miniscule, molecular whiff of odor would probably make most humans freak out. The olfactory portion of a whitetail’s brain is said to be approximately 1,000 times larger than a human’s! That’s difficult for most humans to even comprehend. So, knowing that a whitetail's number one guard is its extremely responsive sense of smell

The November rut, the annual breeding season for whitetail deer, is a highly anticipated time for hunters. It's when mature bucks are on the move, actively pursuing does for breeding. Traditionally, most hunters focus their efforts on the golden hours of dawn and dusk. However, a fascinating and often overlooked aspect of this period could be a game-changer for your hunting success. That aspect I am referring to is mature buck activity during the midday hours. During my "rutcation" weekday

Oh, sweet November! For deer hunters, the month of November is what we have spent the entire year waiting for. The month of November is primarily the time in most regions that the whitetail deer have their breeding season or what is more commonly known as the rut. The rut is a particular time of year when deer, more specifically bucks, fall out of their everyday routine. During this time, a buck's travel routes or daily patterns are unpredictable, leaving deer hunters on the edge of their seat

The diverse flora of North American provides land managers with a variety of options for growing hard mast producing species. While often attention is placed on selecting red or white oaks that are appropriate for different sites and soils, it is important to recognize that there are other suitable hardwoods available. Sweet pecan is an important hardwood species that provides unique foraging opportunities for deer, squirrels and other species. Because of the widespread use of pecan in nut crop

Getting ducks within reach of your shotgun can be tough. Everything has to go just right to get ducks to drop their feet and glide into your decoys. More times than not, something will go wrong. The slightest flaw in your presentation will send ducks back in the sky and headed south. There’s a number of things that tend to flare ducks from your hide, but we’ve narrowed down some of the best of the worst. Here are 10 reasons ducks flare from your blind. 1. YOU CALL TOO MUCH Some say it’s not

Of all of the great variety of tree species that we have been blessed to be able to select from, when you consider the diverse values for timber and for wildlife, it is not surprising to recognize that most of us exhibit a definitive preference for oaks. Few other trees exhibit such an influence on the composition of wildlife species that are drawn to an area. However, given the great genetic diversity in our own native oaks and the unique habitats to which different oak species are best suited

Decoys are visual aids used to draw attention, give birds and animals a reason to close the distance, and to add realism to a hunting ambush setup. Decoy placement, posture and movement (or lack of motion) can all be important. When hunting waterfowl, positioning of your decoys in relation to the hunters’ locations and considering the wind speed and direction is vital for consistent success. As migrating birds move south, they look to flock with other birds. We hope that our fake offering of

My summer scouting efforts have revolved around supplemental feeding sites for several years. Due to CWD concerns, feeding has recently become prohibited in certain areas in my home state of Missouri. In legal areas, all feeds or baiting must be cleaned or removed at least ten days before hunting season begins on September 15th. The Missouri Department of Conservation regulations state that an area is baited for ten days after the complete bait removal. I agree with the MDC regulations of